Issue Eight

Finding and Keeping

March/April 2017

Welcome to the world of Root & Star, the magazine for the WHOLE child—the wise, the wild, the strange, & the sweet.

We bring heartfelt literature and art to children all year long. Hooray!

In our eighth issue, we explore the theme of collecting.

Do you feel that tension of wanting to have your house magazine-ready while your children want to hold onto every old toothbrush and button and box? This magazine is not the kind that minds a few collections! We ask these questions:

What do fairies carry in a seedpod purse?

If you sing to the ground, do the crocus bulbs hear you?

How can you become a rabbit just by looking at one?

What can hearts learn from long spoons?

Where is the broken bracelet from Paris?

Where is it? Where?

40 full-color pages of beauty and life.

The target audience for each magazine is children ages 4–8, or children who are being read to and/or are just learning to read—but because children are never far from their siblings and caregivers, we created a magazine that can be enjoyed by all ages, from 1 to 100.

Root & Star is published six times per year. Join us with one issue, or SUBSCRIBE here!

Issue 8 Contributors

e. e. cummings(1894–1962) was an inventive American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright.

Stephanie Dosenlives in the Rocky Mountains with her puffy cat, fluffy dog, and a whole closet full of brightly colored yarn. She loves to knit pretty things for herself and for her friends (including the gnomes and fairies that live nearby). She encourages all people to give knitting a try. It’s fun and easy!

David Gregal Jr. lives in Washington, DC. At the end of the day, he loves reading books with his wife and two kids before bedtime.

Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel(1834–1919) was a German biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist, and also an artist.

Craig Hofheimerhas an MFA in painting from Tyler School of Art of Temple University. He currently works as an architectural designer in New York City, but he came out of artistic “retirement” to make the pictures on page 29.

Melissa Kasemanlives and works in Oakland, California. She has a deep affinity for design, color, and light. She is always seeking magic in the mundane.

Lida Larinalives in Russia. Every day, Lida walks her best friend—her black dog named Babai. After their walk, Lida draws the sleeping Babai.

Courtney Mandrykis one of the makers of this magazine. She has a huge collection of ink that an old friend gave her. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Erik Mattijssenlives and works in the very heart of old Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. There, in a small garden, he grows the most beautiful flowers that find a place in his drawings! He loves color, but his favorite is mint-green.

Bethann Garramon Merklelives in Wyoming, where she cooks, gardens, hunts, hikes with her dog Brio, and hangs out with scientists like her husband. As a writer and illustrator, Bethann best enjoys telling stories about nature and the scientists who study it.

Preeta Samarasanwas born in Malaysia and moved to the United States to finish high school. She is the author of the novelEvening Is the Whole Day. She lives in France.

Lindsay Shafferis a writer, artist, and photographer living in Los Gatos, California. When she’s not working on her creative projects, she loves to hike in the Santa Cruz mountains and study local wildlife.

Becca Stadtlanderis an illustrator and fine artist, inspired by the beauty of everyday objects, the comforts of home, and the lush colors and landscapes of far off places.

Page Turneris an assemblage sculptor based in Roanoke, Virginia. Turner’s sculptures have been exhibited widely in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, and have been featured in a variety of publications.

Walt Whitman(1819–92) was a groundbreaking American poet, essayist, and journalist.

Christine Hartzler Woodruffis one of the makers of this magazine. She collects the things her children give her. So far: drawings, heart-shaped stones, sides of sugar (cheek kisses), and beautiful silvery hairs.